Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust is delighted to welcome the generous donation of a vibrant and uplifting painting to Torbay Hospital.
Rainbow Babies, by acclaimed UK artist Amy Louise, has been gifted by long-time local carers Ali and Peter Wood-Goss, who have been regular visitors to the hospital for many years and witnessed first-hand the positive transformation of its spaces through art and colour.
The painting, which now hangs in the antenatal waiting room in the Women’s Health Unit at Torbay Hospital, was originally acquired by Ali and Peter during a charity auction in lockdown, where it raised more than £3,000 for Tommy’s, a UK charity dedicated to research into miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth. The couple felt the joyful nature of Rainbow Babies made it an ideal gift to share with the patients and visitors of the unit.
Ali and Peter Wood-Goss said: “We have enjoyed the painting at home for a number of years but felt the time was right for it to bring light and happiness to others. Torbay Hospital has done so much for us and so many families – this is our way of giving something back.”
Artist Amy Louise said: “In May 2020, in the midst of a global pandemic and almost a year on from my own pregnancy loss. I sat down in my kitchen to paint Rainbow Babies in the hope that it might raise a smile (and some money) for anyone who might need to use the services of the wonderful people at Tommy’s. The reaction I had from this painting was humbling to say the least. It managed to raise more than £3000 for Tommy’s and I was beyond thrilled. Now it sits here in Torbay Hospital’s Women’s Health Unit, hopefully shedding the same light as when I painted it.
“When I first learned the term Rainbow Babies, I was pregnant with my own little rainbow. It’s quite a simple thought, that the baby after any loss is the sunshine through the rain, and therefore, the rainbow. A lovely idea I thought, and the inspiration for this painting. The colours are deliberately rainy as I feel this remembers the heartache of losing a first baby or pregnancy, while also holding the hope that one day all your wishes might come true, in whatever shape that might be. We are mothers and fathers and we carry on through the rainy days, because without rain there cannot be rainbows, and we never forget the ones who pave the way for the rainbow to appear.”
The painting was officially unveiled in a small gathering with hospital staff and the donors, who were warmly thanked for their contribution to the hospital’s welcoming and healing environment.
Nicola McMinn, Chief Nurse, Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are immensely grateful to Ali and Peter for this thoughtful and generous donation. Art has a powerful role to play in supporting the wellbeing of our patients, families and staff, and Rainbow Babies is a shining example of that.”
For more information about Tommy’s, please visit https://www.tommys.org
You can join us on our social media pages, follow us on Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter) and Threads where you can keep up to date with whats going on in South Devon.
Got a news story, blog or press release that you’d like to share or want to advertise with us? Get in touch via email admin@wearesouthdevon.com
